October 31, 2018

Housing Underproduction in California: Economic, Fiscal and Environmental Impacts of Enabling Transit-Oriented Smart Growth to Address California's Housing Affordability Challenge



ECONorthwest and the Up for Growth National Coalition collaborated on this study of housing development patterns and outcomes in the state of California between the years of 2000 and 2015. Researchers were the first to use the REMI model to simulate large-scale housing development in order to analyze its impact on regional economies. The study incorporated two scenarios (Smart Growth, More of the Same) and compared those approaches when applied to the development of 3.4 million housing units in California. This assessment found that the Smart Growth scenario delivers greater economic benefits, provides more tax revenue-generating units, and requires less infrastructure by adding additional housing to the densest areas in transit corridors.

ECONorthwest, Up for Growth – Housing Underproduction in California: Economic, Fiscal and Environmental Impacts of Enabling Transit-Oriented Smart Growth to Address California’s Housing Affordability Challenge [full PDF]